The Curse That Created
by KittyKatThePsycho
Summary: The Ancients have won the war, but it has come at a terrible price. What will Janos do as his brethren annihilate themselves?


A/N: This is just a one-shot about Janos Audron before he turns Vorador. Reviews are always appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, even though I would like to own Janos.

 **The Curse that Created**

The end of a war was meant to be a cause for celebration for the victors, but this was not the case for the winged adversaries of the Hylden race. In their final act of retaliation, the Hylden had cursed their enemies. The vampires may have won the war and imprisoned the fiends, but the cost had been great.

Deep within the mountains of Uschenteim stood a solitary figure, large raven wings folded neatly behind his back as he stared blankly into the distance. Words could not describe the pain that flowed throughout his body- both physically and emotionally. It was worse than any of the battle wounds he had sustained during the war. He had gone into battle for glory, for his god, and he had been rewarded with an abundance of unfathomable despair.

Janos Audron did not have the faintest idea on what to think of the curse that had been placed on him and his kind. It had all happened too quickly, his mind was still trying to process everything that had occurred and at times he felt himself thinking perhaps it was all a horrible nightmare their enemies had placed them in. If it was a nightmare, there was a way out and that meant that he and his brethren could return to their normal lives. But he would silence these foolish thoughts as swiftly as they came because he knew there was no point in deluding himself for it was no nightmare- it was their reality and it was even more cruel than any of them could have anticipated.

The Hylden had given them immortality, removing them from the Wheel of Fate and therefore their god had turned away from them. They were no longer pure, no longer worthy of His grace, no longer part of His cleansing cycle. It had started with odd pains in the chest, which most of the vampires would have brushed off had it not been occurring within many of them simultaneously. The sensation of utter emptiness and the sudden thirst for blood confirmed many of their worst fears. Many of his brethren could not live with the thought of being bloodthirsty, ravenous monsters let alone being seperated from their god and so many of them took their own lives.

Janos had thought that, after the madness and mass suicides had subsided, perhaps things would have returned to some sort of state of normality, but it was not so. For those who were able to live with the bloodthirst and godless existence came a new portion of the curse- sterility. Janos, who had been in his late thirties at the time, had felt a toppling amount of sadness and fear rush through him as the news of the development had finally reached his ears. He, along with his remaining brethren, would never know the joy that came from having children of their own. The merciless curse did not spare those who were expecting either for the unborn children died within their mothers or were born dead and this shattered their parents. The anguish felt by them, and those who had longed for a family, caused the self-annihilation of the vampires to escalate to the point where Janos began to fear that his race would become extinct.

A snowflake drifting past his golden eyes snapped the vampire out of his melancholic reverie and he sighed, brows furrowed in frustration. Many of his brethren had accused him of being far too indifferent to the curse that had been placed upon them, but they had not seen him as he wept incessantly deep within the aerie nor had they seen seen him wail over the corpse of his first unfortunate victim. He had felt the same amount of torment as they had, he had thought of destroying himself just as they had but he could not. Unlike them, he was bound to the world of the living by his duty and he refused to give the Hylden the satisfcation of knowing that they had destroyed his race completely.

There were more present and important dilemmas at hand, so dire that he had had to bury his anguish deep within his black heart until it seemed as if he had become as cold as the mountains in which he resided. The Pillars had to be maintained in order for their accursed enemies to remain banished and because of the sterility of the vampires, it meant the Pillars would have to choose another race as its guardians. Humans. Janos was weary of them because while their races lived civilly for now, he knew there would come a time when the humans would begin to reject his kind. He had read and seen enough of humankind to know their predictability when it concerned beings that were different to them. But what other choice did the Pillars have? While he was weary of them, he also had faith that if they were taught correctly they would be worthy Guardians. However, he doubted that the few of his kind that remained would agree with his sentiment. He smiled, sadly. They were a proud race, after all.

He heard the doors to the large room open, but this did not startle the ancient. He had been aware that he was not alone- he had already sensed his visitor when the man had entered his grounds- but he did not feel threatened as he heard footsteps behind him. A gust of icy wind caused his robes to whip against his skin and it ruffled his wings slightly, expelling a few stray feathers. The dark feathers landed on the ground and he smiled thinly as he saw a hand reach out and pick up one of them. The man held it up to his face, examining it thoughtfully before he turned to Janos.

"I thought I would find you up here. I have heard about what the Hylden has done to you and your kind, Janos. I am sorry. Is that why you dwindle here on this balcony?" The man said, glancing at the winged one. To many, the tone and wording of the man's question may have sounded insensitive but Janos knew him well enough to know that it was his way of displaying his concern.

"It is always good to see you, Vorador. Although, I must ask, why do you insist on travelling up here all on your own? If you had shouted for me, I would have come down to you." The blue-skinned vampire smirked as the man seemed slightly annoyed. They both knew he secretly admired Janos' ability to fly.

"I am glad to see that you are not drowning in melancholy." Vorador replied, then quickly added, "I was concerned about you, Janos. I thought that the curse would..."

"Would lead me to kill myself like it did the rest of my brethren?" Janos finished, slightly touched by his friend's concern. "You needn't worry, Vorador. My duty to the Pillars is more important than the despair I feel. Please do not tell me you journeyed so far merely to see if I was well."

Vorador folded his arms. "Yes, and no. I have come to tell you that I have completed the sword." Janos watched as Vorador went inside the large tower to retrieve something from within. When he returned, Janos could not help but smile. The sword was perfect- it was unique, slim and deadly. The weapon of a worthy champion.

"Thank you, Vorador. I trust that you will take your usual compensation of gold?"

Vorador nodded, but whispered under his breath, "I would prefer to spend more time with you as a compensation as well." He was not aware that all of Janos' senses had been enhanced and when the vampire turned to look at him with a rather shocked expression, he flushed as he realised the man had heard.

"I did not realise that your senses have improved so much. I apologise if what I said has offended you."

"Were your words true, Vorador?" Golden eyes seemed to bore straight into the heart of the mortal man.

"And...if they were?" The man asked, nervously.

A sly smile graced Janos' lips, revealing sharp teeth as he walked towards the man. He had already thought of other ways to continue his bloodline. "Then, I shall compensate you."


End file.
